Real estate tax bill deadline extended

1/3/2003

Call it a deadline that leaves taxpayers some wiggle room.

Real estate tax bills that began arriving this week from the Lucas County treasurer's office with a Jan. 24 due date on the statements actually aren't due until Jan. 31, county officials said yesterday.

“We're pushing back the due date to give people a normal amount of time to pay their bill,” John F. Irish, the treasurer's office chief deputy, said.

Statements for first-half real estate taxes ordinarily go out in early January, with payment due in mid-February. But the treasurer's office moved up the due date to Jan. 24 to separate the due dates of the first and second-half tax bills by a full six months. Second-half tax bills remain due at the end of July, Mr. Irish said.

In recent days, a foul-up with mailing the first-half statements meant residents are just now getting their January bill, Mr. Irish said.

The statements are arriving now because ExpressBill, the treasurer's office mailing service, unexpectedly moved mail sorting from Toledo to Cleveland, causing a delay, he said.

But an ExpressBill official said shifting the sorting to a subcontractor in Cleveland had little effect, adding perhaps a day to their delivery.

Jeff Reichard, president of ExpressBill, said the treasurer's office didn't give the nod until Dec. 27 to mail out the statements. Most mail delivery is suspended on Sundays and on New Year's Day. “The sorting, whether in Toledo or Cleveland, would have had no effect on [when residents received the statements],” Mr. Reichard said.